>I would suggest many of the accidents Kieran refers to above were due>to letting ones guard down after getting off the climb proper.
Only 1 of the 6 accidents referred to was during descent. That resulted in an injury.
Helmets aren't a panacea. I don't think the 3 injuries had any head involvement. 2 of those were wearing helmets but I I don't think that there was any suggestion of having hit their heads.
Of the 3 unroped deaths, 2 fell from the top of cliffs. The third fell down slabs on approach and it is possible that a helmet might have helped there but we'll never know.

dalai wrote;>Having walked numerous time over the years unscathed where you fell,
&>we need to remain vigilant at all times!
&>I would suggest many of the accidents Kieran refers to above were due to letting ones guard down after getting off the climb proper.

This brings to mind a statistical bit of trivia which has stuck with me, that I heard back in 1972 regarding safety and climbing accidents that occurred on the Three Sisters at Katoomba ..."More climbers have hurt themselves on the stairs to the top* after finishing their climbing (of the Sisters), than on the climbs they did"

* ~> After the honeymoon is over! ... As from faded memory I think the closest lookout to that formation is called Honeymoon Point(?) - Kind of apt, I thought at the time...

My own experience has since reconfirmed (perhaps too many times), that there are indeed some scary moments on approach/departures to 'real' climbing.

This reminded me of the bit on Helmets in the article by John Dill of YOSAR (in the sticky topic on Accidents & Injuries forum) :

"While we can never know for certain, helmets might have made a difference in roughly 25% of the fatal and critical trauma cases. They would have significantly increased – but not guaranteed – the survival chances for five of those fatalities (ed: 51 fatalities). Furthermore, helmets would have offered excellent protection against less serious fractures, concussions, and lacerations."

What this is saying is that if an accident would be fatal without a helmet then it is more likely than not that it will be fatal with a helmet. So is it worth wearing one? In my view yes, but it's clear that it's just a part of the safety system and doesn't substitute for attention and judgement.

Just to clarify, the cause of the fall was just misplaced footing. I had finished climbing (sorry I can't recall the name of the route but as you look at the pic in the forum it's to the far left of where I fell). I was making my way back to my bag to get a drink. Dropped down off a rock about 30cm above the one I slipped on and my feet just went from underneath me. I didn't know that the crack was underneath where I was, I'd never imagined that I would fall the distance I did. I'm not unaccustomed to being in an outdoor environment and have never been injured before, it was a bad choice of footing, entirely my fault.

On 14/10/2013 Crispy99 wrote:>Just to clarify, the cause of the fall was just misplaced footing. I had>finished climbing (sorry I can't recall the name of the route but as you>look at the pic in the forum it's to the far left of where I fell). I was>making my way back to my bag to get a drink. Dropped down off a rock about>30cm above the one I slipped on and my feet just went from underneath me.>I didn't know that the crack was underneath where I was, I'd never imagined>that I would fall the distance I did. I'm not unaccustomed to being in>an outdoor environment and have never been injured before, it was a bad>choice of footing, entirely my fault. >

Wander around exposed places for long enough and someone will have a bad fall eventually (eg, Ben Cossey from the base of Taipan). It's probably more dangerous when you're comfortable with the situation, because if you aren't you tie in. Glad it wasn't serious

Hi All, I can provide some info about this incident. The climbers who were involved are close friends of mine and I have spoken 1st hand with both of them. I just spoke to the injured climber and he would like you all to know that he is recovering well. He fell a considerable distance and sustained a smashed wrist (now set and pinned), numerous fractured ribs, lots of bruising and a few deep lacerations. He was knocked unconscious at the time but has no spinal or brain injury. He will make a full recovery. He hopes to be released from hospital tonight or tomorrow.

Very glad to hear that fill, thanks for the update. Do pass on our regards and hope the injured climber has a speedy recovery.

In due course, once things have settled down, would you or the climbers involved be interested in sharing what happened? As unfortunate as accidents like these are, they do serve as a valuable reminder and lesson for us all.

Yes James, I agree, there are always lessons to be learn't. I've been climbing 28 years and some of the most valuable lessons have come from incidents that I either have been involved with or that I have read about.

I will leave it to those directly involved in the incident to share the details of the story when and if they are ready. In the interest of lessons to us all I am confident that will happen.